Charge: State juvenile detention worker smuggled porn to detained boy

Police say woman kept working at Echo Glen for months after admitting to providing porn

Updated 4:46 pm, Wednesday, July 15, 2015

A worker at a North Bend juvenile detention center accused of smuggling pornography to a detained boy has been charged with a sex offense.

King County prosecutors claim Michelle Angela Davis brought pornography to a 15-year-old boy held at Echo Glen Children’s Center, a Department of Social & Health Services-run secure detention facility.

The allegations against Davis first surfaced in September 2013. Charging papers indicate nearly a year passed before Davis, a counselor at the facility, was confronted with the claims. King County investigators say Davis was allowed to keep working at the facility for two months after admitting to bringing the boy porn.

Writing the court, a King County Sheriff’s Office detective said the boy told her Davis behaved like a spurned girlfriend around the time that she gave him the photos.

“Per (the teen), he ‘picked’ out the photos he wanted to keep,” the detective said in charging papers. “He also reports (Davis) became jealous and acted as though the two were in a romantic relationship.”

Davis, a 44-year-old Lacey resident also known as Michelle Gamet, drew investigators attention in September 2013 when the boy told another Echo Glen staff member she’d provided him with porn. The other worker contacted authorities, who began an investigation.

According to charging papers, Davis was confronted nearly a year later, on Sept. 25. Davis is alleged to have admitted during that meeting to giving the teen pornography she’d printed on her home computer.

Writing the court, the detective said she was told that day that Davis was being fired. A week later, though, she learned Davis had been allowed to return to work in a temporary capacity.

Weeks later, on Nov. 17, the detective was at Echo Glen on another matter and ran into Davis, she said in charging papers. Davis ultimately resigned Dec. 1.

In a statement, a DSHS spokesman claimed Davis was kept away from incarcerated children as the investigation was ongoing.

“We separated the staff and the involved youth while evidence was forwarded to investigators for preliminary review,” the spokesman said by email. “Immediately following indicators supporting the allegation, the staff was reassigned to duties requiring no youth contact while the investigation continued.”

Describing the 10 photos at issue, the detective said each showed women in various states of undress striking “provocative, sexual poses.”

Davis has since been charged with communication with a minor for immoral purposes. She has not been jailed.